Author's Note: This one-shot was written for the Monthly Challenge for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! It also happens to be my birthday today, so happy birthday to me? I hope you enjoy the story!
The Wrong Sort
Summary: It took several years for Hermione to realize why Malfoy always introduced himself with his full name. Once upon a time, he became friends with the 'wrong sort' without knowing it.
"What kind of things can we expect our daughter to learn at your school?" her father asked as Hermione disappeared between the shelves in the apothecary.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Hogwarts is –"
Hermione rolled her eyes as the professor went through the curriculum for the hundredth time. It had been interesting the first couple of times but at this point, the frizzy-haired girl was pretty sure that she could recite it back to her parents. Not that she could blame them. Adults were always concerned with the strangest things.
The day that Professor McGonagall rang the doorbell had been the best day of her life. It was like everything finally fell into place, the explanation as to why she was so different from the other kids. She could still remember the first time she performed magic. Benny had been teasing her about her hair and her other classmates had joined in too. Their laughter still rang in her ears to this day. Hermione had burst into tears and in her frazzled state, she didn't realize that she made their lips zip shut. Their eyes had widened and she would have laughed if she hadn't been so frightened.
Strangers appeared out of thin air wearing weird clothes and set everything back to right with a wave of their wooden stick. They had a discussion with her and had mentioned the name 'Hogwarts'. Hermione had been so frightened of getting in trouble that she didn't say anything and her classmates seemed to have forgotten it completely.
"Muggles again," a blond boy said from beside her.
He had a pointy face and it was like all the colour had been sucked out of him. His eyes were grey, his blond hair was almost white, and his skin was pale. Hermione took the smallest step away from him just in case he was sick. She had just received the germ talk a month ago at school and was proud to be the best handwasher ever.
Professor McGonagall had explained that word to her, so she nodded. "Are you going into First Year as well?"
"I am. I have had my name written down in the Hogwarts book since the day I was born."
Hermione was saved from answering when an older kid bumped into the blond.
"Watch where you're going!" she snapped, feeling defensive over the first person she met her age in this strange, amazing world.
The older boy rolled his eyes but left them alone. She could see that her new friend was staring at her with a strange look on his face. It was like he was surprised that Hermione had stood up for him.
"Thanks. I'm Draco," he said extending his hand. "Do you want to go get ice cream?"
She glanced at her parents who were still talking with the professor. She knew that she should stay here, but she really wanted to fit into this new school, so she shook his hand. "Sure. I'm Hermione."
Draco gestured for her to sneak through the back and she realized that he was also dodging his mother – at least the woman looked a lot like him – which made her feel better about it.
Hermione held back her gasp when they stepped out onto the street. It was absolutely magical, there was no other word for it. Women, or rather witches, leaving stores with their packages floating behind them. In the store across the street, Hermione saw a boy riding a broomstick and he was hovering above the ground! Even the words that she overheard from the people on the street like cauldron, potions, and charms were enough to make her heart flutter. Never before had she felt more at home somewhere and she felt so lucky that this world chose her.
But when she glanced at Draco, she saw that he looked bored. Hermione tried to hide her smile. Her friend looked like the type of person that would be cool at school and she really, really wanted to fit in. Professor McGonagall had told her that some students had magical parents, so they were raised in this world. Draco must be one of them. Hermione had been scared that she would be at a disadvantage, but the Deputy Headmistress had waved away her concern.
"Let's go to Quality Quidditch Supplies," Draco said. "My father told me that Nimbus just released a new broom."
Hermione followed him through the crowd of people. A peek behind her showed that her parents hadn't noticed her disappearance yet. Draco pushed open the door and they pushed their way to the spot where all the brooms were kept. There were two boys in front of them talking loudly.
"What is Quidditch?" the shorter boy said.
"It's a game with a quaffle, bludgers, and a snitch-"
Draco sneered. "I can't believe that I'm going to have to go to school with mudbloods."
Hermione didn't know what a mudblood was, but she knew that it wasn't a nice thing to say if the glare the woman beside them shot him was any hint. She had a sneaking suspicion what it was and her stomach clenched at the thought. Luckily, Draco didn't need a response for he kept going.
"Can you believe that some people didn't know they were magical until their accidental bout of magic? How do you even catch up when your peers have lived their whole lives around magic?" he said, shaking his head. The way he looked at her showed that this time she was to answer.
Her answer was still something that bugged her to this day. "I know. Although, I never personally have followed quidditch. I'm not one for sports if I'm honest and have never bothered to learn the rules."
"Well let me walk you through it. You're missing out, Hermione," he said guiding her to a display case filled with different sized and shaped balls. There was also a tiny replica of a quidditch stadium.
The next twenty minutes were spent with his soft voice patiently going through the rules of the game. A girl their age started to make a comment about her hair, but one glare from the blond shut her up. Despite his earlier comment, Hermione liked the way that Draco had automatically come to her defence. He was her first friend and she couldn't help but have a soft spot for Quidditch. It was the first sport that she liked and Hermione was excited to follow it at Hogwarts.
"I think you would make a good chaser," Draco said when they left the store.
She looked at him. "What position do you like?"
"Chaser, of course. There's something about it that I've always liked. I know that Seekers are viewed as more important, but Chasers are really important too. Not only do they score goals, but they have to help defend their posts too."
"I like the sound of Chasers," Hermione said before spotting the bookstore ahead of her. She really wanted to go, but she didn't think someone as cool as Draco would want to go. She hadn't managed to hide her interest well.
"Do you want to go in?"
She nodded and blushed when he took her hand and brought her inside. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. It was a relief that the smell of books didn't change, whether they were magical books or not. It was paradise. And the book covers moved! She drifted away from Draco as she went to explore a section filled with spellbooks. Witches had recipe books just like muggle women did. She scanned every aisle and smiled when she saw that Draco had cracked open a book and was so absorbed that he didn't notice her pass by.
Hermione lost track of time as she opened book after book and held back a giggle when she realized things that she had thought only existed in fairytales, were normal here. Apparently, turning a pumpkin into something else was called transfiguration. None of the other books compared to Hogwarts: A History though. It gave a detailed account of the school that she would be going to and the moving pictures showed her the place that she would spend the next seven years of her life.
"Do you want to get it?" Draco asked when he found her reading.
She closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "My parents have our money, unfortunately."
"I'll get it for you," he offered. The blond picked the book up and started walking towards the till. Hermione tried to discourage him but he wouldn't listen. "We're friends, right? Now you can always remember me."
Hermione felt heat rise to her face after he bought it and returned it to her. She clutched it to her chest like a lifeline, evidence that this day was real and not a dream.
"I believed I promised you ice cream," Draco said.
"We don't have to. I don't have my money on me and you already were nice enough to get me this book," she said before brightening up. "I'll pay you back when we get to Hogwarts!"
He chuckled. "Only because you're so adamant about it, but only for the ice cream. Hogwarts: A History is a gift."
They spent the rest of the afternoon at Florean Fortscue's Ice Cream Parlour laughing each other's stories and observing the people walking past. Hermione kept the fact that she was a muggleborn to herself. She wasn't sure why she did it exactly, but she was scared of losing the first real friend that she ever had. Draco told her stories of his childhood and of his awful 'friends' that he would have to spend his time with once school started. He also shared that he wanted to be sorted in Slytherin – one of the houses that Professor McGonagall told her about – just like his mother and father and how he hoped that Hermione would also be in that house.
Everything was going perfectly until she saw Professor McGonagall rushing towards her with her parents. Hermione bit her lip as she watched them approach and was tempted to run away. This had been the best day ever and she didn't want it to end.
Draco noticed them and sneered. "Look, it's those muggles again. What are they wearing?"
Hermione didn't say anything, her heart racing as her perfect day was about to be ripped away from her. Her parents were wearing jeans and shirts. Hermione had wanted to make a good impression so she wore her best summer dress, which seemed to fit in with wizarding style. She didn't know what to say to Draco, there were so many thoughts swirling in her head and her tongue wasn't working properly. Hermione wanted to explain to him that she was a muggleborn and that she hadn't meant to lie to him. She knew it was a conversation to have in private but it was too late.
"Hermione, we were so worried!" her mother said pulling her into her arms and giving her a hug.
"What have we told you about wandering off, young lady. You're lucky that Professor McGonagall was able to find you for us. What if we had left? How would you have found us?" her dad said.
Her eyes filled with tears as she realized how selfish she had been today. It was their first day in the Wizarding World and Hermione had made her parents worry for her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"These are your parents?" Draco asked and the sound of disgust hurt.
She stepped away from them and faced the blond. "Yes, these are my parents. My name is Hermione Granger and I'm a muggleborn."
It looked like a million emotions flickered across Draco's face at her admission. She hoped that her being a muggleborn wouldn't affect their friendship. They had a lovely time together and had stood up for each other. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had laughed as much as she did today. But it seemed like her lie was unforgiveable because his face became blank and she knew that she had lost him.
"I should have known. Keep the book, Granger, I don't want something that your filthy hands have touched," he said before storming off.
Hermione burst into tears and let her mother hug her again as her first friend disappeared from her life. Professor McGonagall sat them all down at the ice cream parlour and started talking to them about the complexities of the Wizarding World regarding purebloods and muggleborns. Hermione didn't listen to them, her thoughts directed to how unfair the world was to create such division between people.
Years later, no one understood why Malfoy used his full name when he introduced himself. Hermione understood. It was the same reason that she had read every book she could get her hands on before school started and also avoided quidditch like the plague, something that only the two of them would understand.
The only thing that she could not part with no matter how hard she tried was her first copy of Hogwarts: A History. It was a reminder of her first perfect day in the Wizarding World with her first friend, a beautiful beginning to a turbulent story.